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Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Science versus “ancient ways of knowing”

Science is the most effective means of determining medical treatments that work and whose benefits outweigh their risks. Those who promote pseudoscientific or prescientific medicine, however, frequently appeal to other ways of knowing, often ancient ways of knowing from other cultures, and pointing out deficiencies in SBM to justify promoting their treatments. Do their justifications hold water?

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Homeopathy Medicine Naturopathy Pseudoscience Quackery

Naturopathy: Using homeopathic saliva from a rabid dog to cure growling, aggression, and a fear of werewolves

Whenever I think I’ve seen the most ridiculous quackery ever in homeopathy or naturopathy, homeopaths and naturopaths go above and beyond to prove me wrong. This time around, I learn of Lyssinum, a homeopathic remedy claimed to have been made from the saliva of a rabid dog, and how it “cured” a child of his fear of werewolves.

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Homeopathy Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

fake médicine: Science-based medicine versus homeopathy in France

Homeopathy is The One Quackery To Rule Them All. The same is true all over the world. It’s also true that the preferred tactic of homeopaths and other quacks is to try to suppress criticism of their quackery, not to answer it with science. During Homeopathy Awareness Week, I present an example of this in France.

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

The dubious cancer “virotherapy” Rigvir returns with an equally dubious case report

Rigvir is a “virotherapy” from Latvia promoted by the International Virotherapy Center and, increasingly, by alternative cancer clinics. There is no convincing scientific evidence for its efficacy. That didn’t stop its advocates from presenting a case report. Not surprisingly, the case report isn’t convincing either.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery Religion

Quoth antivaccine “warrior mamma” Brittney Kara: If vaccines are so great, why aren’t they mentioned in the Bible?

Orac has heard some really silly arguments by antivaxers against vaccines in his time blogging. Indeed, he thought he had heard them all. He was wrong. Did you know that the Bible didn’t mention vaccines? And that pharmaceuticals are sorcery? Brittney Kara tells us so!